


Back in the Zone

by epersonae



Series: Aftermath [22]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angus is Baby!Magcretia, Background Relationships, Gen, Zone of Truth, pot smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 10:52:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12479916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epersonae/pseuds/epersonae
Summary: Merle hosts a party. Lucretia interrupts. A familiar spell is cast. Taako has questions.





	Back in the Zone

**Author's Note:**

> Indirectly references [Under the Milky Way Tonight](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10669680), but all you need to know about that is that Taako got Lucretia high once on the moon base with weed he stole from Merle. 
> 
> As usual, includes past and present Taagnus and Magcretia, and Angus being Magnus and Lucretia’s kid.

Lucretia walked out onto the lanai overlooking Bottleneck Cove. She’d been looking for a quiet spot away from the party to watch the sunset, only to run into Merle and Taako heads together over a long pipe.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” and she started to back away. As expected, Taako frowned at her. Merle shook his head slightly, then looked at them with a little smile. 

“When's the last time you partook, sis?” he asked.

She and Taako made identical grimaces.

Merle chuckled. 

“Oh, right. Back when Taako didn't know he could just ask. Dipped into the stash on the” air quotes “down low. Not your fault, of course,” he said with a nod to Taako. 

“ _ Obviously _ ,” said Taako. “A lot we didn't know then.”

Merle chuckled again, keeping things even. 

“I'm —” She paused, sighed, didn't repeat the usual apology. “But no, I haven't since then.”

“Well here.” Merle jumped down from the swing bench and patted the spot on where he'd been sitting. “How's about you two share this, and have a little chit-chat, and I'll check on you later.”

Taako tapped out the bowl into an ashtray made out of some badly assembled pieces of shells. There was a little tin on the table in front of them; he took out a fresh bit and stuffed it down neatly. Lighting the bowl and taking a few quick puffs, he handed her the pipe.

“I hope you  _ remember _ how to smoke a little better this time,” he drawled.

Her jaw clenched.

“I’ll do my best.”

And this time she managed to get a little smoke without coughing, focusing on her breathing, and on not embarrassing herself in front of Taako.

“Well, that was dainty,” he said as he took back the pipe, smoked a little more, handed it back to her. They passed it back and forth several times in total silence, just the sound of loud bad music and people talking loudly coming through the windows.

She could feel herself drift a little, come unmoored from the particulars of being in this swinging bench, in Merle’s house in Bottleneck Cove, on this plane of existence, at this time. She sighed. He harrumphed.

From the doorway, Merle’s rough singing voice, low and crooning. She hadn’t heard him sing one of his Pannite hymns in years; she almost found herself singing along.

“Damn girl don’t encourage him. He’s probably just…” And Taako shivered. “Fuck you, old man.” But there wasn’t much bite behind the words.

At the same moment, she felt as though the whole inside of her skull were trying to sneeze. Right, of course.

“Zone of Truth,” she whispered.

“You couldn’t’ve made him forget that or anything.”

“I don’t think it would’ve worked.”

“Oh no, because that's so much more important to his personality than Lup is to mine.”

She waved her hands about helplessly, just fuzzy enough between the smoking and the spell that she couldn’t quite put the right words together.

“That’s not — I mean — dammit Taako, that’s not fair.”

“Do you think I care about being fair?”

Her whole face scrunched up and she just sighed.

“Here, have another,” said Taako. “I’m toasty, you’re toasty, but neither of us is toasty enough for this, m’dude.”

This time she coughed, a lot, and he laughed behind his hand, not quite maliciously.

“I’m always glad when I can catch you being a bit of a mess,” he said.

“I act like it doesn’t bother me, even when it does,” she replied.

“I know.”

“Shall we change the subject?”

“Let’s.”

She gave him a little sidelong glance, then said, “Mags told me Kravitz is going to make an honest elf of you.”

“That would be a stretch, but we have been basically living together, and Lup wants a party, so…” Taako shrugged. “You’re not invited, though.”

“Didn’t expect to be.”

He rolled his eyes.

“This line of conversation isn’t any better,  _ Lucy darling _ .”

“Is there a  _ good _ line of conversation for us, Taako?”

His nostrils flared, and she could see his jaw clenching and releasing.

“I could go,” she said softly. “I would like to go.”

“No, stay,” he said. “Look, I just don’t want Merle to think he needs to try this again.” He sounded tired. “Do you feel guilty at all about what you did to Ango? Poor fucking kid thinking he’s an orphan.”

“Of course I do. I feel guilty about all of it, pretty much all the time. It’s the baseline emotion; doesn’t really matter what anyone says.”

“But he loves you, and I hate it. They all love you, ‘cept maybe Cap’n’Port, and none more than that dumbass kid. Except maybe his fuckin’  _ dad _ .” — Taako grimaced — “I mean, Mango, I can’t believe...ugh, whatever.” He waved the pipe about aimlessly, fell silent for a second, swallowed heavily. “We keep fucking,” he said, “and I don’t really mean to.”

Despite the tinge of sadness in his tone, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Is that supposed to be either a surprise or a revelation?”

He flushed and wrinkled his nose.

“Well fine then. Cha’boy actually gives something up in the Zone of Truth….”

“Magnus comes home glowing. And embarrassed. And horny.”

“Jeezy creezy.”

She shrugged.

“I...like it? Reminds me of before.” She blinked back unbidden tears. “I miss us, sometimes. Are you going to forgive me?” she asked.

“No? Probably not? I’unno, really. I feel a lotta pressure to” — he inclined his head at Merle, still hovering in the doorway — “y’know?”

She sighed.

“I don’t ask them to.”

“I know.” For the first time that evening, he turned to look at her. “Every time I really think about, I mean,  _ really _ think about how everything went down—” He closed his eyes. “I just — I’m still — I feel so much hate and despair. I don’t even know if I hate  _ you _ exactly.” When he opened his eyes again, there were tears on his lashes. “It feels real bad, Creesh.” She nodded, afraid of disrupting the moment. “So I focus on everything else, anything else.” He took a deep breath. “And there’s so much  _ else _ now, y’know? I got all this?” He waved a hand. “She’s back, I’ve got the kid and Ren and the school, and Krav? What am I to complain? But, hoo, wow, still not over it.”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“Can’t untangle it, so I gotta slam the door, ya feel?”

She let out a small soft laugh.

“I can live with that.”

“Good, bubeleh, ‘cause I’m pretty sure that’s all you’re going to get.”

They fall silent again, the pipe untouched on the table, not looking at each other, staring out at the last bit of sun vanishing into the sea. He giggled, out of nowhere. 

“Was it all just a ploy to get my macaron recipe?”

“Hmmmm?” She'd been staring at the distant waves. 

“Don’t think I don’t remember how fucking fast you whipped out that little notebook, Madame Director. How many decades did you come sneaking around trying to find out what made them work, and I just gave it to you that Candlenights?”

She snorted, and over in the doorway, Merle chuckled. Behind him, Lup popped her head out to look at the two on the swing. She wrinkled her nose slightly.

“Oh! Uh, everything cool out here?”

“Super-cool, we’re all just fine, yup.” Taako frowned slightly. “Oh I guess the zone wore off, huh? Cool, my dudes, I’m heading inside. Thanks for the rescue, Lulu.”

She tilted her head and shook it slightly.

“That wasn’t a rescue, Koko.”

“I’m taking it anyway,” and he jumped off of the swing. “See ya later, losers.”

Lup mouthed “sorry” as she followed him back into the party. Lucretia leaned back and stared at the ceiling. Merle hopped up beside her.

“Didn’t go how you expected?” she said.

“Didn’t expect nothing, kiddo. Truth’s good for you, is all, if you can get it gentle.” He patted her knee, then leaned over to pick up the pipe. “Another?”

**Author's Note:**

> I did roll to see if either of them would resist the Zone of Truth. Taako got a 5, not including bonuses...and Lucretia had a critical fail.


End file.
